CHENNAI: The number of children dying due to immunization-related complications has more than tripled after the government closed down three public sector vaccine labs in January 2008. The government has no clue about the causes while children continue to die, the latest being that of five infants in Gujarat on Wednesday.

Details given by the Union ministry of health and family welfare in reply to an RTI query filed by Dr KV Babu of Payyanur show that 111 children died in 2008 due to “adverse effect after immunisation (AEFI)”. AEFI is a general term that covers various reasons, including bad vaccine quality due to break in cold chain, contamination and complications due to pre-existing conditions of the child.

In 2009, the latest year for which the ministry has given details, 116 children died due to AEFI. In contrast, 32 children lost their lives to AEFI in 2007.

With the autism-vaccine connection disproved last year, you would think fewer parents would be objecting to having their children vaccinated.

Yet, the resurgence of serious, preventable illnesses — including whooping cough and meningitis — is testament to the fact that even greater numbers are seeking exemption from vaccines for their children.

But parents who seek an exemption from vaccinations for their children based upon religious reasons would have to comply with stricter guidelines under a new bill that passed the New Jersey state Senate March 15, NJ.com reports.

Making heads or tail of the immunization alphabet; be your child’s best advocate.

Bethlehem.patch

Last month, Pediatrics, the Official Journal of the AAP, published new recommendations from for childhood and adolescent immunization schedules in 2011, approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

With new recommendations including Prevnar 13, MC4V, Tdap, Td, Hib and the HPV4 (either the Gardasil or Cervarix). Of course, always recommended are two doses of the flu vaccine.

* Prevnar 13 booster of the varicella shot for chicken pox.
* Td is the tetanus which should be administered at least every 7 years but the intervals and combination with other vaccines has been reevaluted.
* Tdap, a.k.a. pertussis, a.k.a. whooping cough vaccine revised recommendations are a direct response to national outbreaks of whooping cough.
* A booster of MC4V, referring to the meningococcal vaccine, is recommended for adolescents to prevent meningitis.
* HPV4 refers to the human papilloma virus and is given not only to girls but also is recommended for boys ages 9 – 18 to stave off the likelihood of acquiring genital warts. I shudder at thought
* A third dose HepB, hepatitis B is recommended for toddlers who did not receive the first dose at birth.
* PCV and the PPSV, not the plastic pipes under your kitchen sink, are recommended to prevent pneumococcular disease, otherwise known as pneumonia or sepsis caused by bacterial infections.
* The TIV or the LAIV, influenza vaccines, the difference between the two being whether or not your child is being injected with the live virus or not.

What does this vegetable soup mean to parents? While many blindly follow the recommendations of their doctor, trusting in the infinite wisdom of pediatricians, there is still some debate over whether or not immunizations are at all necessary. Is this just more fear mongering from a medical model industry that wants to push even more drugs on our children or is this truly looking out for their best interests?

TRENTON — The impassioned debate went on for more than an hour — despite witnesses being limited to only 90 seconds per statement.

But a bill that would allow parents to claim a conscientious objection from having their children vaccinated was firmly shot down Monday by the chairman of the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee, who called it a “recipe for disaster.”

The debate marked the first time in seven years the controversial proposal was put up for formal discussion in the Assembly, and had appeared for a time to be gaining some momentum.

NVIC’s “Ask Nurse Vicky March 10, 2011 NVIC’s “Ask Nurse Vicky” Educates Consumers A new online video health education program produced by the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) will feature Vicky Debold, RN, PhD, responding to letters from consumers asking questions about vaccination. Since its founding in 1982, NVIC has responded to letters and telephone […]

Vaccinationnews The Difference Bruesewitz v Berkovitz 22 years Different Decisions Different US Supreme Courts Different Press and Public Opinions The United States Supreme Court recent decision in Bruesewitz V. Wyeth did not only affect a family. It affected thousands, who after unsuccessfully pursuing a claim through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, will no longer […]

Published in ‘Japan Today’ TOKYO — The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare decided Friday to suspend administering two types of publicly subsidized vaccines as four children recently died after receiving them, notifying municipal governments of the decision, ministry sources said. The two types are the Hib vaccine to prevent bacterial meningitis and a vaccine […]

By Reeve Hamilton On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, with a vote of 6-2, that vaccine manufacturers are protected from lawsuits by parents who believe that vaccines harmed their children. One thing this assuredly means for Texas: The anti-immunization community will be out in force this session working against vaccine mandates — including a […]

Vaccines Safety testing on the INTER-relationship of vaccines has NEVER been done. The vaccines on the schedule have never been tested together. Neither the CDC nor FDA can prove that the current schedule is safe. Vaccine ingredients basically fit into three groups: • Antigens– Protein cells or cell envelopes from bacteria and viruses• Adjuvants – […]

Note from SaneVax: Pay no attention to the fact that different strains than those covered by the vaccines are causing most meningitis outbreaks throughout the United States. Pay no attention to the fact that the efficacy of the vaccine wore off many years earlier than expected. Forget the enormous cost to the public healthcare system of mass vaccinations. Let’s just recommend more shots and pretend medical consumers are safe.

By Lora Hines, The Press-Enterprise Teenagers should get vaccinated to protect against the bacteria that causes meningococcal meningitis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends. Publication in the Jan. 27 issue of “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report”f ormalizes the recommendations made this fall by the federal agency’s advisory committee on immunization practices. The committee’s […]

By Linda Hoang, Global News About 40,000 Grade 9 students in Alberta are set to get immunized against several forms of meningitis. It’s part of a new $2 million immunization program that will begin Feb 1. The vaccine, which will protect against four different strains of meningococcal disease, will be issused through school-based clinics and […]

By Norma Erickson, President of SaneVax Inc. Currently, pharmaceutical companies are lobbying the New York State Legislature to mandate the two most expensive vaccines on the market. HPV vaccine for all sixth graders, and Menactra (meningitis vaccine) for all seventh graders in the state. Let’s take a look at the cost to taxpayers should these […]

New Jersey: 17 year old “vaccinated” HS student boy dies of bacterial meningitis Posted by Editor The boys quick death was a shock to the family, especially because the healthy teenager had previously been vaccinated for bacterial meningitis. Read more…Add this to California’s whooping cough epidemic where 75% of the cases were “vaccinated” children. Read […]

By Lora Hines, The Press-Enterprise 22 January 2011 The federal public health agency that investigates, diagnoses and prevents disease spread could change its childhood immunization schedule and adopt a recommendation this week for teenagers to get vaccine boosters for the bacteria that causes meningitis. The anticipated change by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]

By: Kate Killand 22 November 2010 More than 12 million people in Burkino Faso will be the first to receive a new meningitis vaccine as part of an Africa-wide immunization plan, the World Health Organisation said on Monday. The vaccine, called MenAfriVac and made by Serum Institute of India, will be used to inoculate 450 […]

By: Carl Thomas 08 November 2010 Student Health Center (SHC) staff have confirmed that USA is going to make bacterial meningitis vaccines mandatory for all on-campus residents next year. Beverly Kellen, practice director for the SHC and USA Family Medicine, said the vaccine is essential for the safety of students on campus. “Bacterial meningitis is […]

By: Gardiner Harris 27 October 2010 ATLANTA – Federal vaccine advisers recommended on Wednesday that 16-year-olds be given a booster dose of a vaccine against meningococcal meningitis and that people ages 11 to 64 get a booster to protect against whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus. The reason for the meningitis recommendation is that two popular […]

By: Dr. Orin Levine 03 December 2010 Meningitis is an awful disease. It comes on suddenly, kills frequently, disables its survivors for life, and devastates families economically and emotionally. When it occurs in epidemics, as it does frequently in Africa’s “Meningitis Belt”, it has the power to disrupt entire communities and health systems.World Health Organization, […]

By: Julie Steenhuysen 27 October 2010 (Reuters) – A panel of federal vaccine experts narrowly voted to add a booster dose of a meningitis vaccine to teens at age 16.The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 6-5 on Wednesday to add a booster dose of the vaccine at age 16 to address waning immunity […]